


Standing still

by Tenoko1



Series: Misc. Prompts [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Avengers Family, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Comatose Tony Stark, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fix-It, Fluff, Found Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-10-28 02:37:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20771147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tenoko1/pseuds/Tenoko1
Summary: Endgame ending fix-it.--Morgan sat propped up against a pillow in the bed beside her dad, holding up school work and telling him all about her day as though he was able to see it, to laugh at her silly stories, to react to Peter having skipped school to come to her father-daughter pancake breakfast. He’d renamed it the big brother-little sister pancake breakfast. It was her peals of laughter and cackles of delight as she told him stories that made Steve finally crack and leave the room.Pepper followed him and wrapped him in a hug.He held on tight, vision blurring. “We wasted so much time being mad.”She stretched up, kissing his cheek. “And when he wakes up, be sure to tell him that.”





	Standing still

**Author's Note:**

> Requested by huntingreindeerinslipperysocks on tumblr. Really can't blame them. I needed a whole bunch of Fix-It.
> 
> I think this is my first time writing an Avengers fic.

Chaos.

Shouting.

Bracing for another wave of enemies only to see one of their own fall.

Pounding feet and panted breaths.

Hands frantically reaching.

Shouting. _So much_ shouting, but somehow so far away.

Darkness closing in as it all falls away.

A new kind of fear settling in.

\--

The sheets were white.

The blanket on the hospital bed was equally bland but covered in a handmade quilt of the Avengers.

There was practically a memorial in place by the main entrance to the Avengers tower, despite Tony being alive. And not there.

Rhodey, Happy, and Pepper were continually bringing in flowers that had been left for him. SHIELD security had to scan them, but they always came back clean. The underground hospital room would have been too sterile and bland without them, that symbol of life and vibrancy. A life waiting to be returned to.

T’challa and Shuri had been there at the beginning, barking out the SHIELD physicians and presenting their own. The staff had been wise enough to know they were ill-equipped for the situation and maintained a standby position, ready to assist as needed, but he wasn’t really their patient.

Strange had… done something magical involving his hands and demanded an O.R. be prepped stat so they could save Tony’s hand from the mangled damage of the Infinity Stones. He’d then looked at Wanda, declaring he was going to need her help and magic while his hands were occupied.

Carol came by regularly, offering small vials of her blood to hook up to Tony’s I.V.

Steve didn’t know her well, but she’d saved Tony twice-- maybe even three times now-- and that was more than enough for him.

When Tony had fallen, Carol and Steve reached him at the same time, Carol yelling over her shoulder for a medkit and hypospray.

Steve had only been able to watch in a daze as she’d injected Tony with her blood, hoping to keep him alive long enough to get him medical attention.

Their eyes had met, a question in hers until he nodded.

She scooped up Tony like a child and took off, dirt and debris kicked up into the air and a ribbon of color behind her.

Pepper and Sam took off after her, streaks like starlight, they were missiles locked on target.

After the battlefield, after starships, and aliens, and extraterrestrial warfare, after those lost to them were returned, the stark white hospital room, the quiet of it, Tony in the bed, and the silence interrupted only by a soft rhythmic beep of machines… the nothingness was been suffocating.

Gifts and flowers came from the world over, adding splashes of life and love for the Avenger who'd brought back half the population, who'd saved the world yet again.

It didn’t change the situation, but it still, somehow, felt like the return of hope. There was a future. They just needed Tony to wake up and see it.

The kid came by a lot. Peter and Steve ended up playing cards, using Tony’s legs as their table and dealing him a hand. It was nice having him there. Peter was one of the few who readily laughed and smiled, which made the rest of them laugh and smile, too.

Thor was there when Peter’s smile and laughter cracked and broke, when the kid covered his mouth and shook with a sob. It was Thor that immediately swept him into a hug, murmuring soothingly and holding on until Peter let go first.

Bucky came by often, but never came past the door, standing at the threshold to bring Steve fresh clothes and reports from Sam.

It was Sam who’d stepped in as pseudo-leader with Natasha gone and Steve too tired to even consider trying to lead anyone anymore.

Steve had to admit Sam looked good in his new uniform and wielding the shield. It suited him. While Steve was overwhelmingly proud, he hated the burden he was leaving Sam with.

Wanda and Dr. Stephen Strange visited together, using their powers to hasten the recovery of Tony’s struggling body, to take away whatever nightmares he lived through while he slept.

It was one of those visits, once Strange left, and she’d stayed behind, that Wanda started to cry. It was the first time Steve had seen her cry since their first encounter with Thanos, when they’d lost Vision. Holding her to his chest and rubbing her back, he wondered if it was the first time she’d cried since that day. When the battle and aftermath was all said and done, when the ones lost were returned, Vision was not among them.

She needed Tony to wake up, she said. Needed him to wake up and be okay, because if they could pull off one more miracle, then she knew she would survive, too.

Morgan sat propped up against a pillow in the bed beside her dad, holding up school work and telling all about her day as though he was able to see it, to laugh at her silly stories, to react to Peter having skipped school to come to her father-daughter pancake breakfast. He’d renamed it the big brother-little sister pancake breakfast. It was her peals of laughter and cackles of delight as she told him stories that made Steve finally crack and leave the room.

Pepper followed him and wrapped him in a hug.

He held on tight, vision blurring. “We wasted so much time being mad.”

She stretched up, kissing his cheek. “And when he wakes up, be sure to tell him that.”

\--

It was another three months until Tony woke up.

With everything that had been going on, time had just… become a surreal thing.

It always had been for Steve since waking up to find out seventy years had passed while he’d been asleep. Now, though, it was even less real. Everything felt less tangible.

Steve was not remotely surprised when one of the X-men showed up-- out of uniform, thankfully-- but an empath Sam had brought in to be the team therapist. Starting with Steve.

He would have laughed if he wasn’t just as aware of how he’d… stopped.

The world was moving forward, but Steve no longer knew what that meant or which direction to go.

Maybe he was doing the same as Wanda. Hoping for one more miracle that would propel them both back to life.

In the meantime, he waited by Tony’s side, days blurring one into the next until there was a knock on the door, Pepper opening it just enough to peek her head inside.

“I know you don’t have the shield,” she held up a hand, her smile widening, “but no need for weapons, okay?”

She pushed open the door, a loud, “SURPRISE!” following as some near dozen faces grinned at him, holding a cake and presents and-- in Thor’s case-- shaking sparklers like they were pom-poms.

“Wha--”

Morgan shot forward, arms around his legs and bending backward to grin up. “Happy birthday, Cap’n!”

He spluttered a laugh as they all began to pour into the room carrying pizzas and cake and gifts, Wanda waving her hand to make streamers dance around the edge of the room.

Morgan grasped his wrist, giving it a shake. “I can’t stay cause I have dance class, but I told Momma I had to be here because it’s the most important America’s birthday. Then Happy tried to argue that America-- the place-- is the most important, but everyone knows that’s not true, because America isn’t a _place_, it’s the _people_ that make America and the people that matter. Then he brought up politicians-- and Cap, can you _believe_ I had to explain? _To Happy_? That the government is full of bad people who make bad choices for stupid reasons? That’s why you’re the best America, and why America is a _people_, not a _place_.”

Pepper gently ushered Morgan out the door with a wink. “Future president, just watch.”

“She’s got my vote.”

Valkyrie shoved a jug into his arms, and it sloshed as he caught it. “Dunno about traditions on Earth,” she drawled, “but back home, you’d be expected to celebrate for at least a month.” She punched his shoulder, biting her lip on a grin. “Never celebrate alone, nor drink on an empty stomach.”

His gaze slid to Thor, the tightness in his chest eased to see Thor looking more like himself. Beard and hair neatly kept, no longer wearing what Peter called his ‘depression clothes.’ He’d even lost some weight, skin tan like he was getting out of the house more. He looked good. Still heavily weighed down, but lighter all the same.

Carol sidled up to him, tapping the jug with a nail. “I did not come expecting it to be your birthday, so I’m empty-handed but happy to help you celebrate. That is definitely something I want to try.”

Shuri had her head angled like she was analyzing the contents of the jar with only a look. “I’ll have medics on standby.”

“No more hospital patients,” Wanda ordered, making a series of gestures with her arms and hands. The room expanded to give the impromptu party more room, just as tables popped out of the ground.

Steve arch a brow at her, teeth flashing on a crooked smile. “Learned a few things from Strange, I see.”

“It has been nice,” Wanda took the jug and set it on the table, “knowing someone who knows magic, someone who can teach me more about my own.”

Sam swung around the doorframe and into the room, then, all wide, toothy smile as he opened his arms.

Grinning, Steve met him halfway, both of them squeezing tight and patting each other on the back.

“Was this your doing?” Steve asked as they parted.

“What? Pssh. No. It’s on the calendar. National holiday. July 4th: Birth of America’s Ass.”

“Where _is_ Scott?”

“Ah.” Sam hooked a finger in the front pocket of his shirt, pulling it open as Steve leaned closer. “Bit of Thor’s excitement came out in static? I guess? Wanda said he’s alive, just unconscious after getting tased by an excited God of Thunder. We’re gonna need Hope’s help to get him to normal size and out of the suit so he can repair it.”

“Y’know, when the military tried coaxing people to enlist by selling the idea soldiers would go exotic places and meet interesting people, I do not think they meant this.”

Sam gave a half-shrug. “Can’t say it wasn’t true, though.” Reaching over, he snagged a gift bag string with one finger, reeling it in before handing it off to Steve. “This is from me. Can't stay. Even with the majority of the team here, there’s still plenty of work to get caught up on at the office. Sure you don’t want your desk back?”

“All yours.”

“Whole bunch of calendar events with your name on them, you know. Meetings. Public appearances. Event fundraisers and public awareness.”

“They’re safe in your capable hands.”

“Aight. Just gonna offer. Nurse friend of mine said you’re supposed to stimulate the minds of senior citizens and not let them get bored.”

“Oh, is that how it is?”

“That’s how it is. You’re not getting the shield back, just to be clear. But the paperwork and bureaucracy?” He held up his index finger. “Don’t make me beg. You know it gets Thor emotional.”

“Sam,” Thor berated, blue eyes sliding to give him a look and jerking his head at Valkyrie, “you should know better than to lie when there are young, impressionable children present.” He clamped a large hand on Peter’s shoulder. “Also, Peter is here.”

Valkyrie straightened from where she was shuffling pizza boxes looking for a specific one. “Young, impressionable child? I am a _queen_.”

“A child queen--”

“Says the man whose best idea was flying straight into The Devil’s Anus--”

“Got us out, didn’t it?”

“On an orgy party ship!”

“You _did_ wash your hands afterward, didn’t you?”

Pulling a face, Peter carefully maneuvered around the two to the table, then squeezed between them, arm outstretched to offer Steve a paper plate with two pizza slices.

“Whole lot to unpack from that conversation,” he said.

“Probably best to not even ask.”

The kid grinned, then jolted, “Oh! Uh…” His web shot out and snapped a gift box into his hands between one blink and the next, and he held it out. “This is from me and Aunt May,” he said. Steve floundered, looking to the plate in one hand, then Sam’s gift bag in the other. “Or, well, the tickets are from me, that’s why they’re on top, not in the box. I thought we could catch a baseball game. But what’s inside the box is from both me and Aunt May.”

Steve chuckled. “I’m going to need more hands.” Twisting, he set his plate in the chair, then set the gift bag on the bed between Tony’s chest and arm. “Hold that for me, please, Tony,” he said, reaching for the box from Peter.

“...Sure thing, Cap.”

Everyone froze, then all turned toward the bed at a speed as though none of them trusted what their ears were telling them, or perhaps were afraid what would happen if they _had_ imagined it, but…

But Tony was making a face and squinting in the light, eyes swiveling over the faces and room, before noticing the IV and monitors attached to his hand and arm. “Wha-?” His perplexed expression softened as he looked around again, then faltered, eyes on Steve’s face. “I’d say this was a fever dream, but all of you look too scared for that. Is it me? Did I fly another missile through an interdimensional portal again? Or maybe Cap-- Lady Cap? New Cap? We’re gonna need a way to differentiate-- maybe Carol didn’t save us when our ship ran out of fuel, and I’m in a coma dream that smells like hospitals and delivery pizza--”

“_Tony_,” pressed Steve. Brown eyes blinked and swiveled up to him just as Thor came closer, hand clamping on Steve’s shoulder and squeezing. Swallowing, Steve blurted, “I’m sorry I didn’t call sooner. Or at all. I’m sorry I didn’t reach out or apologize.”

“Now I know something’s wrong,” interjected Tony, hand blindly searching for the bed control buttons.

Shuri spluttered a laugh. “The hospital room didn’t give it away?”

He waved. “We’re Avengers. Even with suits, serums, magic, and whatever else, we’re _always_ in the hospital or going into hiding.” His wary gaze slid back to Steve. “But for you to apologize-- which I already knew for the record, and I was just as stubborn, so don’t go making yourself a martyr yet-- what happened?” He stilled, features paling. “Cap. Where are Pepper and Morgan?”

“They’re fine,” Steve insisted. Tony’s shoulders drooped on a sigh. “Morgan had to get to dance class. They were here just a few minutes ago.”

“Then why are you apologizing?”

“Because I thought I was gonna lose you without getting to be friends again.” Tony’s brows knit, and he glanced at Thor for clarification, then back. Steve drew in a shuddering breath. “You stopped Thanos and brought everybody back we lost in the Snap. Tony, you _saved_ the world. _All_ the worlds.”

“I had a little help,” he rasped. “One or two people. Can’t remember their names. Pencil pushers, really--”

“_Tony_.” Tony’s mouth clicked shut, and Steve forced an unsteady smile. “We’re-- _I’m_\-- really glad you decided to rejoin the land of the living. It’s good to have you back.”

“It’s good to be back, Cap.”

END


End file.
